The Corner Office

An American company is set to take the UK by storm. Mexican food has always been a favourite of ours at CareerBuilder – we are even willing to take the tube from Old Street to Angel, to sample the delights of Chipotle’s outstanding Burritos.

The first restaurant was founded in Colorado in 1993 by Steve Ells (a chef) – using a small loan from his parents. His lack of business knowledge meant that his passion for food was his main drive behind getting this company to where it is today. Twenty years on, Chipotle now has over 37,000+ employees and are continuing to grow expanding across the UK and France.

Chipotle Mexican Grill started serving delicious, fresh Mexican food to London in 2010. They are now looking for great people to join their team of a high energy and fun people in one of their 6 locations.

Chipotle recently started working with CareerBuilder to promote a fantastic environment for both food lovers and employees. They have are now recruiting for the future of Chipotle through walk in interview sessions.  Chipotle will be interviewing at the below locations any Monday to Friday from 9:00am-11am & 3pm- 5pm. Please note there is no need to confirm a specific date or time. Just head down with your CV between the allotted times and dates and speak to a crew member. Read the rest

Looking for work can be a hard (not to mention lonely and frustrating) experience and the last thing you want to do is scupper your efforts. Take a tip from the experts and discover the common pitfalls to avoid.

1. Going for jobs you don’t really want

Casting your net wide can open up opportunities but beware of a scattergun approach.

‘Apply only for jobs that you genuinely want and for which you have the relevant skills and experience,’ advises Corinne Mills, Managing Director of Personal Career Management.

‘No employer will consider you unless you meet their exact requirements or if you seem half-hearted about working for them.’

Not sure what you want or what is possible for you? Corinne suggests spending time researching your options and perhaps working with a career coach to help with your career planning and decision-making.

‘Job-search campaigns which are clear and focused are far more likely to be productive and enable you to present confidently to employers.’
2. Not tailoring your CV

You might have spent hours writing your CV – but the work doesn’t stop there. Once you have a basic template, be prepared to tweak sections for the particular job you’re going for.

‘I know this sounds strange, but your CV isn’t about you,’ says recruiter and careers coach, Aimee Bateman of Careercake.

‘It’s about how relevant you are to the job you’re applying for, and how you can benefit the employer reading it.’

That also means sending a tailored cover letter.

‘Don’t make an employer feel like you have sent out a batch full of CVs, hoping someone (anyone) invites you for an interview,’ says Aimee. ‘If you want an employer to be genuinely interested in you, you need to make them feel like you are genuinely interested in them.’

3. Don’t make finding work a full-time job 

Finding work is often described as a full-time job – but there are good reasons why you shouldn’t let it become the sole focus of your day.

‘Looking for work can be lonely and frustrating but staying glued to your computer all day can do more harm than good,’ says career coach Richard Maun.

‘If you sit bashing out job applications you could very well be getting into bad habits and making the same mistakes. Take time out for a networking ‘coffee and cake’ chat (with friends, ex colleagues or LinkedIn contacts) and you’re likely to come away invigorated with new ideas and inspiration.

‘Keep a balance and make time for hobbies and family and friends and you’ll be a happier and more positive – and that will come across to employers too.’ Read the rest

Not feeling inspired by the vacancies you’ve seen advertised on the web? Fancy something a little more out of the ordinary? Do a little digging and you’ll be surprised at some of the weird and wonderful jobs that people actually do for a living…

Chief listening officer
You might have heard of social media editors (yes, there are people out there who get paid to update Facebook and Twitter all day) and social media managers, who plan, run and report on social media campaigns – but have you heard of a chief listening officer?

What they do: CLOs monitor social platforms and conversations to keep track of online ‘buzz’ – i.e. what’s being said about a company or brand and then responding to complaints, issues, or misinformation.

According to Forbes, the first-ever CLO job was created in the US in 2010 but as more companies rely on social media for market research and customer service, we can expect to see more roles in future – so look out for similarly titled positions springing up in the UK too.

LEGO builder
Many of us enjoyed playing with LEGO as children, but only a small number of particularly dedicated builders have managed to turn their childhood hobby into an adult career.

What they do: Yes, the iconic Danish toy brand actually employs an undisclosed number of professional “master model builders” to come up with new designs and build models for its attractions.

Based in Legoland Discovery Centres in different countries around the world, the builders have to work to a budget and brief to create new toy sets which will challenge, stimulate and entertain children.

Technical lingerie model
You’d have to have been living in a cave for the last 50 years not to be aware of the existence of lingerie models – but did you know that there are another, secret and shadowy set of underwear models who are never seen by the public?

What they do: Technical fitting models or ‘fit models’ as they are known in the trade, are on hand to try out the latest production samples for big brands such as Victoria’s Secret – so bosses can be sure a product will be right before they commit to a big run.

The role can offer a good salary and the opportunity to live in another country, such as Sri Lanka, depending on where the company’s factories are located. One possible downside is that such models usually have a clause in the contract stating that they must maintain their precise measurements – so it’s vital not to gain or lose weight. Read the rest

It’s never been a better time to be in Technology. The growth of this industry in the UK is rising and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. East London has been re-branded as Tech City. Major multi-nationals have committed to move to the area to help launch this initiative.

techcityuk.com refers to its location as “Europe’s centre of innovation and the location of choice for tech and digital companies and investors”. The job market is changing. The way we seek employment is becoming more technical, be it via apps or applying directly for positions on our phones or tablets. Start-ups, existing small, medium and large companies are all starting to implement technology to increase productivity and keep up with the times. Here are some technology jobs that are on the market today along with the average salary for technology driven positions.

Computer Systems Analyst

Spend your day analysing data processing systems and working on making computer systems more effective and efficient. A computer analyst would work with business managers and owners to understand and determine what specific computer systems need to do. They may work as a middleman between a client (internal or external) and the developer to improve IT solutions.

Average Yearly Salary: £32,063

View Computer System Analyst positions by clicking here

System Developer

Systems developers work on the internal operations of computers, using existing systems or incorporating new technologies to meet particular needs. They test, diagnose and resolve system faults. System developers play an important part in making a business more efficient and helping to provide a better IT service.

Average Yearly Salary: £28,051

View System Developer positions by clicking here

Web Developer

A web developer has the creative task of designing, optimising and maintaining websites. Knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP, JAVA and AJAX is usually essential for this type of work. A web developer is in charge of designing how the site works and how it looks. They can also be involved with the maintenance and update of sites. Read the rest

Despite the recent rise in unemployment, the UK won’t go into a triple-dip recession as the labour market is highly flexible. The bad news is that there is not much job growth going on at the moment.

The latest REC and KPMG Report on Jobs found that further increases in both permanent staff placements and temporary/contract staff billings were recorded in March, but they were the slowest in six and seven months respectively. Growth of job vacancies moderated further, reaching a seven-month low.

The survey monitored rising demand for all eight types of permanent staff. The strongest rate of expansion was signalled for IT and computing workers. Hotel and catering registered the slowest growth of vacancies. For the fourteenth consecutive month, nursing, medical and care was the most in-demand category for temporary/contract staff during March. Engineering and construction workers were also highly sought-after.

The following companies from different industries are also hiring new staff at the moment.

Telefonica is a leading provider of mobile and broadband services to consumers and businesses in the UK. People may be familiar with O2 as their UK service provider. The company is the leader in non-voice services, including text, media messaging, games, music and video, as well as data connections via GPRS, HSDPA, 3G and WLAN.
Available positions: The company is hiring agency store leaders and retail advisors in O2 stores across the UK.

Electronic Arts Inc. is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. EA develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, tablets and social networks. EA operates its global Headquarters in Redwood Shores, California and has studio locations around the world. In August 2004, Criterion Games joined the EA family.
Available positions: For their Criterion Games studio in Guildford, Surrey, EA is hiring IT, marketing/PR, media and more professionals and graduates.

With more than 12,800 employees across 195 sites, with 1,800 vehicles, 2,923 trailers and around 2.5 million square metres of warehousing, Norbert Dentressangle is one of the UK’s largest logistics and transport companies.
Available positions: Norbert Dentressangle is hiring drivers, transport co-ordinators, business development managers and more for different locations across the UK.

Hertz is the world’s largest vehicle renting organisation and operates from approximately 8,100 locations in 147 countries worldwide. Today, Hertz’s worldwide reservations centres handle approximately 40 million phone calls and deliver approximately 30 million reservations annually.
Available positions: Hertz is recruiting customer service representatives throughout Europe. Read the rest

On Saturday 25th May, there will be a hiring event for people interested in relocating to Ningbo, China in London. 

Ningbo China, one of the fastest growing cities in the world, is recruiting top international talent to join its already thriving business and technology community.  As China’s premier city by the sea, Ningbo has access to 1,400 islands, world class food, and outstanding lifestyle.

On May 25th, the exciting City by the sea, Ningbo, is holding a job fair in London to meet local talents. The City of Ningbo will be bringing high-tech companies, science and research companies, biomedical and high level polymer and physics organizations, as well as shipbuilding, business, IT and engineering across a wide range of industries.

Additionally, we will want to talk to people who have interest in foreign direct investment in China and starting your own business in a business friendly thriving economy, with clean water and air near the sea and growing with an international community. Professors and research scientists are especially encouraged to attend to discuss opportunities.

Ningbo is investing in international experts and seeking to attract top talent across various fields to relocate to Ningbo for business opportunities and direct employment positions in the fields of banking, finance, healthcare, medicine science and technology, engineering, renewable energy,  management, senior management, business development, IT, marketing, HR, architecture,  sales, hospitality. Read the rest

The three main selling points for most job seeker are location, salary and benefits; overlooking corporate culture which could be the driving force to career satisfaction.  Company values are the behaviours and skills that are valued in employees across the whole company. Studies show that finding an organisation which exhibits values you value maybe the key to job satisfaction.

It is important to have a basic understanding of a company’s culture before you attend an interview, or even apply for the position. Are you a perfect match? Do you have the same personal goals and expectations? If the answer is yes, then that company could be the company for you. Researching the company prior to an interview will make you stand out from your competition.  Reference the company values when talking about previous experience and relate them to examples. For example; if one of the values is “Passion”, you could relate this to a point in your career where you pushed an idea or went out of the way to drive success for a previous employer. Read the rest

CHICAGO, April 23, 2013— CareerBuilder, the global leader in human capital solutions, announced today the acquisition of Oil and Gas Job Search (OilandGasJobSearch.com), continuing its expansion of niche online job search platforms. Oil & Gas Job Search, headquartered in Manchester, England, is the oil and gas industry’s leading online job site outside North America with job postings worldwide.

Despite global economic turmoil, the oil and gas industry continues to expand payroll and requires an increasing number of high-skill engineers and technicians. In the U.S., oil and gas extraction supports nearly 800,000 jobs and could grow to more than 1 million by 2017, according to Economic Modeling Specialists International. In Canada, oil and gas jobs are projected to grow 31 percent from 2010-2017 (to nearly 70,000 jobs overall), and in the U.K., jobs in natural gas extraction are projected to grow 62 percent over this time frame.

“With the acquisition of Oil and Gas Job Search, CareerBuilder will continue to provide a leading international recruiting and search service, while simultaneously expanding the niche in North American markets through the company’s extensive client relationships,” said Tony Roy, president of CareerBuilder EMEA. “The oil and gas industries are growing, and a large portion of its global workforce is nearing retirement. Finding highly-skilled workers will be a paramount challenge for employers in this space; we’re excited to help them meet their demand.”

“Our clients value our global reach as they seek out the best talent in the oil and gas sector,” said Duncan Freer, CEO of Oil and Gas Job Search. “Joining the CareerBuilder network offers us the chance to accelerate our growth and continue building relationships in key markets in the U.S. and across the world. It moves Oil and Gas Job Search on to a new level and this is a hugely exciting time for our clients and staff.”

As part of the Job Search Group, Oil and Gas Job Search owns four other niche sites also acquired by CareerBuilder: MiningJobSearch.com, RailJobSearch.com, UtilityJobSearch.com and ConstuctionJobSearch.co.uk. The company also has offices in Australia and the United Arab Emirates.  Read the rest

Today is Earth Day, a day where many from across the globe demonstrate support for environmental protection. Originally started by John McConnell in 1969, Earth Day happens on the 22^nd of April.  It is celebrated in 192 countries. In honour of Earth Day, here are some jobs that are also environmentally conscious.

Environmental Advisor

Environmental advisors have a wide range of responsibilities, such as assessing air, land and water contamination, impact assessment, auditing, waste management, development of policy and environmental management.

Click here to view environmental advisor positions

Environmental Engineer

An environmental engineer is responsible for studying, evaluating and managing the human impact on the environment.  Environmental engineer would have an impact on industries, including construction, land and property development, manufacturing, industrial processing and energy and utilities.

Click here to view environmental engineer positions

Environmental Scientist

An environmental scientist assists in the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems. Read the rest

Make a date in your diary to visit the Bilingual People Language Recruitment Fair in London, at Hilton London Metropole, Edgware Road on the 27^th April, less than 2 weeks left to go!

The event offers bilingual and multilingual professionals access to hundreds of available positions from leading international companies and recruitment agencies based in UK, Ireland and across Europe, in employment sectors such as Customer Service, Accountancy & Finance, IT, Sales, Marketing and Translating/Interpreting, plus many more.

This is your chance to meet and discuss employment opportunities with some of the largest recruiters in the UK and across Europe Face to Face!

 Popular languages in demand at the Bilingual People London event include:

 German, Dutch, French, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Czech, Russian, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Turkish, Arabic Read the rest